1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil supply apparatus for supplying oil to respective elements of an engine to be lubricated. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oil supply apparatus in which a power-transmission unit, used to transmit the rotating force of a crankshaft to an oil pump, is mounted to be partially immersed in lubricating oil for effective lubrication thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, oil supply apparatus for engines are classified as a direct-connection type in which an oil pump is directly connected to a crankshaft of the engine to pump oil when the crankshaft rotates, or a chain-drive type in which the crankshaft is connected to the oil pump by use of a chain so that a rotating force of the crankshaft is transmitted to the oil pump via the chain.
Conventional, chain driven oil supply apparatus can exhibit several problems. For example, a complicated structure, a large number of elements, and excessive manufacturing costs can arise due to the use of an oil injection nozzle and an oil supply line to lubricate the chain-drive mechanism.